Locking catch for portfolios and the like



Dec. 23, 1 24- I 1,520,038 H. TUECKMANTEL v LOCKING CATCH FOR PORTFOLIOSAND THE LIKE Filed Jun e 15, 1923 M 5 NVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 23,1924.

UNITED STATES 1,520,038 PATENT QFFEQE.

HUGO TUECKMANTEL, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE '1 86 L CO.INC., OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

LOCKING CATCH FOR PORTFOLIOS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed June 15, 1923. Serial No. 645,489.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGO TUECKMANTEL, a citizen of the United States, aresident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Looking Catches forPortfolios and the like, of which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in locking catches for securingthe flaps or cover portions to the bodies or main portions of portfoliosand the like, whereby the same may be held in closed relation. The mainobject is to provide a simple, strong and effective fastening device forcontainers of the mentioned character, in which the entering members areguided directly into locked engagement with the receptive mem' bersmerely by the operation of closing the parts together.

Another purpose is to provide hand operated means, integral with thecatch bolts whereby the entering or keeper members are released and theflap freed from the body.

A further aim is in the provision of a neat appearing catch device thatoccupies only a moderate space. and which is composed of few and simpleparts, all of which are susceptible of being cheaply manufactured.

These several objects are attained by the novel. construction andcombination of parts hereafter described and. shown in the annexeddrawing, forming part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is apartial front view of the flap of a conventional type of portfolio,

showing the application of the double keeper used with the fastener, thesame being broken away to show its construction.

Figure 2 is a similar view of the body of the portfolio showing thefastener casing in position thereon.

Figure 3 is a view of the fastener, the casing cover being partiallyomitted, and one of the bolts shown in normal position, by full linesand in retracted position by broken lines, as is also the position ofthe keeper when engaged.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the bolts or keeper engagingelements in detail.

In the drawing the main portion or body of the portfolio is designatedby the numeral 8 and t e p sore? parties 9; t9 t e let er of which issecured a U shaped element 10, formed by folding an elongatedrectangular metallic plate along its center, the flap material beingentered in the loop and secured by any suitable means, as the rivets 11.

Passing through the bight of the loop area pair of outwardly extendingkeepers 12, their inner elements 13 being fixed by brazing or the liketo the inside of the loop and their extending portions 14 are curved orbevelled for purposes further on apparent,

each keeper having in its proximate side edge, a recess 15.

The catch casing is composed of a rectangular plate 16, slit near itsupper edge to produce a pair of opposed prongs 17 and a similar pair ofprongs 18 are formed near the side edges of the plate, these prongsvbeing passed through the material 8 and clinched thereover, firmlysecuring the plate to the body in register with the keeper element 10.Adjacent theside and bottom edges of th plate 16 are narrow elongatedslots 19 and 20, respectively adapted to receive lugs 21 and 22extending from the edges of flanges 23 and 24 formed with the top orcover plate 25, these lugs being upset or riveted in the slots to securethe plates in firm relation,

constituting a casing open along its'upper edge as shown, and into whichthe keeper elements may enter.

Fixed in the bottom plate 16, substanti ally in register with the slots19, are a row of rigid pins arranged in series of three each, the outerand next adjacent pins 26.

and 27, acting as guides for the entering keepers and the inner pins 28performing another function. 7

Another pair of pins 29 are fixed. in the plate 16 in its lower portionand between the pins 27 and 29 are positioned the sliding.

bolts 30, the same being further guided by their extensions 31 reachingoutwardly through openings in the side flanges 23.

Formed on thebolts, opposite the extensions 31, are offset projections32, reaching inwardly and leaving undercut recesses 33, theiroverhanging detent elements 34 being bevelled to engage thecorresponding surfaces 14 of the keepers and by them be pressedinwardly, towards each other until the ends of the keepers becomeengaged in the recesses 33 and the bevelled portions 34 of the boltsengage in the correSPQnding re-. cesses 1. of the keepers.

The bolts are normally pressed apart, that is into an engaging position,by the arms 35 of a spring 36, coiled around a pin 37 fixed in the plate16. f

In operation, the portfolio being in an open position and it is desiredto close the same, the cover or flap is moved down so that the keepersenter the space in the top of the catch casing, between the pins 26 and27 and by the exertion of moderate force, their rounded ends pressagainst the bevelled. surfaces of the detents 34, spreading them apartby overcoming the-spring until they eventually snap into positiveengagement.

To open the cover, the extending bolt ele ments 31 are pressed inwardlyas far as they will go, thus releasing the keepers from the detents inan obvious manner.

It will be seen that the bolts are effectively guided by the pins 27 and28 along one edge and the pins 29 at the other edge, in addition to theopenings in the flanges 9.3, assuring a straight line action.

While the construction described and shown discloses the use of pins asguiding mediums for the keepers and bolts, it will be apparent thatother devices, as upturned portions of the bottom plate, ledges, etc.,may be substituted with equal effect, the height of the guide elementsused being slightly in excess of the thickness of the bolts, so that thelatter may slide freely between the plates.

Although the foregoing is descriptive of the preferred embodiment of theinvention, it will be apparent that minor changes may be made in itsconstruction, without the exercise of invention or conflicting with thescope of the claims hereto appended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A locking catch comprising a casing, a pair of bolts, slidable freelytherein, yielding means for moving said bolts outwardly, a pair ofkeepers enterable in said casing, interengaging means formed with saidbolts and keepers respectively, said means becoming engaged by pressingthe keepers into the casing and disengaged by pressing the boltsinwardly, and means common to both keepers and bolts for theregistration and guidance thereof.

2. A locking catch comprising a casing open at its upper edge, a pairofopposed bolts slidable in said casing, an expansion spring common toboth bolts whereby they are held extended in operative position,bevelled faced undercut detents formed on the outer edges of said bolts,a pair of keepers hav ing recesses engageable with said detents throughthe open edge of said casing, the ends of said keepers retracting saidbolts when pressed thereagainst, and means in cluding a series of pinsfixed in said casing for guiding said bolts, certain of said pins alsoacting as guides for the keepers.

3. A locking catch comprising a casing open throughout at its upperedge, a pair of bolts slidable therein, said bolts normally extendingoutward beyond the ends of said casing, a single spring operativebetween said bolts, reversed hook detents on said bolts, a pair ofkeepers engageable with said detents, said keepers being shaped toretract said bolts when making engagement, and combined means forguiding said keepers and bolts.

4. A locking catch comprising a casing composed of an upper and lowerplate integrally united along their side and bottom edges, a pair ofopposed hook bolts movable in said casing, yielding means normallyprojecting said bolts into operative position, hook keepers engageablewith said hook bolts, guides fixed in said lower plate contacting withsaid bolts, certain of said guides being also operative with respect tosaid keepers, and means co-operatively formed on the hooks of said boltsand keepore for causing engagement upon the appli cation of moderateforce to overcome the effects of said yielding means.

5. A locking catch comprising in coinbination with a pair of keepersrecessed on their proximate edges and having curved ends, of a casing, apair of oppositely dis posed bolts movable therein, portions of saidbolts normally extending through the easing for manual operation, guidesfor said bolts, certain of said guides also being operative with respectto said keepers, detents on said bolts engageable with said keepers,said detents having bevelled faces adapted to be acted upon by thekeepers, and resilient means for maintaining said keepers in operativeposition.

This specification signed and witnessed this 14th day of June, 1928.

HUGO TUECKh IANTEL Witnesses:

FREDK C. FISCHER, I FERDINAND NoLL.

